


Drive

by Pairedaces



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie is worried, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, mini road trip i guess, sad!Veronica, stfu it literally hurts so much knowing she's suffering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 17:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18211091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pairedaces/pseuds/Pairedaces
Summary: Archie takes Veronica out for a late night drive.





	Drive

**Author's Note:**

> If y'all only knew the what I had to go through to post this fic...  
> but anyway this was supposed to be short but  
> I had to do what ras couldn't because he's a coward so I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Ps. The first song that's mentioned in this is what inspired the entire thing.

**_Can I live, can I live in this feeling?_**  
    _**Can we stop time?**_  
_**Just for a moment, so I can hold it**_  
_**That look in your eyes**_.

 

_**~~~~** _

 

“I just found out that my parents are separating.”

 

Archie’s first instinct is to go and comfort Veronica. To drop everything and make sure _she’s okay_ . He’s halfway out his seat when reality smacks him hard in his chest, making him slump down in his chair. That’s not _his_ place anymore. He doesn’t have a role in her life now and that hurts more than anything he’s ever endured.

 

So, he bites his tongue and clenches his fists to keep himself from just saying, _fuck it,_ and getting up. When Betty gets up and sits with Veronica, an arm around her shoulders to comfort her, he tries with all his might not to think about how that _should_ be _him_. He tries not to think about how once upon a time he would’ve already known about this and did whatever it took to make her feel better. Tries not to think about how they haven’t said two words to each other since that awkward and disastrous breakfast get together with Betty and Jughead.

 

Archie doesn’t realize his leg is bouncing until he feels a hand on his thigh to stop it.

 

“Are you okay?” It’s Josie. She’s looking at him a little concerned.

 

He suddenly feels sick to his stomach. He has J _osie_ now but the second anything related to Veronica comes up he forgets everything else. It’s not fair. To her or to himself but really at this point, nothing in his life is fair.

 

“huh?” Archie clears his throat quickly. “Yeah, I’m good.”

 

Josie doesn’t say anything but by the look on her face, he knows he wasn’t convincing enough.

 

With another glance towards Veronica, Archie makes it his mission to stop worrying about her. With a bitter taste in his mouth he reminds himself that she has Reggie. She doesn’t need _him_.

~

Veronica is laying in bed, late at night because she can’t sleep for anything, not when everything she’s ever known is falling apart at the seems.

 

She knows that everyone thinks she should be ecstatic that her parents are separating and her mother is finally being freed from her father’s clutches and the logical part of her _is_ . Because no matter how bad it’s been for her, her mother has always had it ten times worse. The bigger part of her, the one that’s still just a _kid,_ is absolutely devastated. Some part of her, no matter how deranged it seems, will always hold out hope that one day her father could change. That small part of her that still wants to be a little girl who has her father wrapped around her finger and has her mother as her best friend again, is always going to dream about that no matter how ugly things get between them.

 

She thinks it’s because as corrupted as they were, they had some good memories as a family. For instance, she’s currently flipping through an old photo album she dug up in one of the many hallway closets in the Pembrooke. There’s so many memories she can recall in the moments these were taken.

 

There’s tons of pictures in here ranging from her baby days to her feisty pre teen and rowdy early teen days. There’s one particular picture during her fourteenth birthday party where she has cake all over her face, her mom has a bit smeared on her mouth as well, and her dad has it all over his hands and mouth. They’re all laughing and look so carefree, so happy. She thinks maybe that was the last time they were truly happy as a family. (She chuckles to herself a bit because knowing herself she probably threw a fit right after because how dare they go embarrassing her in front of her friends like that.)

 

Veronica doesn’t realize she’s crying until the droplets of tears fall onto the page. It’s all over now because she smashes her face into the pillow and starts crying uncontrollably. It’s a certain kind of crushing heartbreak she feels. They were dysfunctional and toxic but they were her _parents_. They are the two people who were never supposed to let her down. She knows she hasn’t had them be there for her like they should’ve been for awhile now but it somehow feels finalized. She’s really lost everything now.

 

She doesn’t know what to expect moving forward and that scares her more than anything. Through all the shit they’ve been through, they have always been a constant and now she doesn’t even have that. Maybe her mom will go on a drinking bender or her dad will go on a rampage and destroy everything in his path _once_ again. It’s all so up in the air and she hates the unknown.

 

She makes herself curl into a ball, clutching the photo album to her chest and _cries_ _harder._ She’s never felt so alone.

~

Veronica doesn’t know how much time has passed but she’s finally stopped crying, it’s just a few tears here and there that occasionally slip out. She feels herself on the verge of sleep, finally letting the exhaustion seep in, when her phone buzzes. At first she thinks she’ll ignore it and go to bed, it’s probably Reggie anyway, but she decides to reply just to tell him she’s going to be so he doesn’t get upset she ‘ignored’ him or whatever.

 

She freezes the second she sees the name displayed on her screen. She has to wipe her eyes to make sure they’re not deceiving her.

 

 _Archiekins_ with a heart emoji right next to it. She realizes that she never changed it. Maybe that’s not the most important thing to be focusing on right now.

 

Her heart and her mind are racing a mile a minute. She’s definitely not tired anymore. She doesn’t know what to do. What does he want? Why is he texting her? Is he okay? Oh fuck, maybe something happened to him?

 

 **_Hey_ **, it reads and even though she’s not worried he’s in any impending danger anymore, she’s kinda really confused now. She scrolls up the texting thread a bit and sees all the unanswered text messages she sent him while he was away. She knew he wouldn’t receive them but she sent them anyway. There’s a twinge in her heart but she pushes that feeling aside.

 

 **_Hi?_ **She responds back because she just wants to know what brought this on. They don’t talk and they certainly don’t text anymore. Her heart sinks at that because they’ve become strangers now and that’s not something she’d ever imagined happening. Then again, all kinds of things she never would’ve thought would happen, are happening.

 

The bubble with the three dotted lines appear and disappear several times until it doesn’t appear again and it makes Veronica super anxious. Is he just not going to say anything? There’s a spike of annoyance she feels and her fingers are already firing off, typing a message about how _rude_ it is to leave her hanging like that when suddenly he’s _calling_ her.

 

And holy fuck? She hasn’t talked to him on the phone since _h_ e _broke up with her via phone call_.  She’s having sudden war flashbacks to that day.

 

Against her better judgment she answers anyway.

 

“Hello?” She says, hating how shaky her voice sounds. There’s a beat of silence where all she can hear is his breathing and for some reason she feels comforted by the sound.

 

 _“I didn’t think you’d pick up,”_ Archie finally says.

 

“Me either, to be honest.” She lets out an awkward laugh, cringing at herself for it. She feels too ansty right now so she gets up and starts pacing around her room. “Was there something that you needed?”

 

“ _I um_ -“ He sounds nervous which makes Veronica’s own nerves skyrocket. it’s him who’s laughing awkwardly now and she wishes he would just come out _with it already._ “ _I’m kinda outside your house right now.”_

 

 _“What?!”_ She exclaims a little louder than she should’ve, stopping dead in her tracks. “Why?”

 

“ _I had to see you,”_ He admits quietly. “ _Get dressed and meet me outside, please?”_

 

“O-oh okay.” The agreement comes out of her mouth like second nature. She should be questioning herself right now but she’s too focused on his _I had to see you_ comment to care.

 

 _“Great,”_ Archie says, sounding relieved. he hangs up the phone and Veronica is left standing there in the middle of her room, phone hanging from her hand.

 

There’s adrenaline pumping through her veins now and the exhaustion she felt a minute ago is long gone. The realization finally dawns on her that she just agreed to see _Archie. Oh god_ , she can’t see him right now?! She’s an absolute mess! Her face is puffy and swollen, for heaven's sake!

 

Is it too late to back out now? Why couldn’t he have asked to see her when she could look _cute_ and prepared not at 2 in the morning right after she just finished crying her eyes out, fucking hell!

 

She feels like she might throw up now because Archie _had to see_ her and she has nothing to wear and she’s a mess and this is just the worst timing ever.

 

She immediately digs through her closet and _of course_ there’s nothing to wear. Nothing seems right for a late night hang out with your ex boyfriend who just _had to see you_. She’s probably never going to stop thinking about that.

  
After what feels like forever she decides on dressing appropriately for the _weather_ . It’s more than likely freezing outside at this hour even though it’s not snowing anymore but of course there’s _nothing_ to wear. She’s about three seconds from throwing a fit and telling him she’s not going but decides to chill for a second and just throw over her signature black cape.

Looking in the mirror she almost screams at the puffiness. She decides she can’t _not_ do anything about it. She has to put on _something_ to cover it up. Minimal makeup is fine. Veronica certainly doesn’t forget to smear on some berry lipstick. Once she’s satisfied with her face, she lets out a puff of breath and stares at herself in the mirror.

 

“What are you doing?” Veronica asks herself quietly. Her eyes fall down to her neck, noticing how vacant it is, has been for awhile now. Her hand reaches up to where a certain locket used to be and before she can convince herself not to go once again, she shakes her head, spritzing a little Chanel, and walks out of her room. She stops briefly at the door to put on her black velvet slippers.

 

She tries to be as quiet as possible even though she knows her mother is in a wine induced sleep. Her stomach flips with an exhilarating feeling she hasn’t felt in a while with every step she takes.

 

The cool air bites at her cheeks and she immediately wraps her arms around herself, searching left and right for the red head boy. When she finally spots his dad's truck parked across the street, she makes her way towards him.

 

Getting into the truck, she thanks everything imaginable that he has the heater on. She briefly wonders when he got it fixed but dismisses it for the fact that she’s actually doing this. She probably shouldn’t be here right now. It kind shocks her how much she doesn’t care about what’s right or wrong in this situation.

 

He’s smiling softly at her from his spot and it makes her heart feel a little fluttery. Or is that her stomach? Really, she can’t tell because she just feels fluttery all over.

 

“Thank you for coming,” Archie says sincerely. “I brought you a blanket, um incase you get cold.”

 

He looks so shy holding out the blanket, Veronica suddenly feels warm from just his thoughtfulness alone. She takes it from him, giving him a grateful smile, and drapes it over her legs.

 

They don’t move or don’t say anything for a while. It’s kind of driving her crazy. She’s having a hard time calming her thoughts.

 

“Why did you come?” Veronica finally asks.

 

Archie looks like he’s about to reply before he thinks better of it and closes his mouth. He gets a crease between his brows and a contemplative looks takes over his face but he still doesn’t say anything.

 

As cute as he is, she kinda wants to _punch_ him because she wishes he would just say _it_. Or she wishes she could at least know what’s going on in his head. It’s all too confusing for her, she just wants to clear her head a little from all the fuzziness he’s causing.

 

“Can we take a drive?” He asks instead.

 

She has to hold back frustrated growl. “To where?”

 

“Anywhere.” He replies, shrugging his shoulders. “Let’s just see where the road takes us.”

 

Her reflex answer is _no_. She wants answers and he’s not giving her any. She wants to get out of the car right now because he’s being so mysterious and not saying anything. She’s probably closer to shaking him until he answers every question she has.

 

She’s about to demand that she won’t go anywhere unless he tells her why she’s here, in his truck, in the middle of the night, when she sees how laid back and relaxed he looks right now. Like he’s willing to go anywhere in around world without a second thought.

 

She wants to feel that way. Everything has been _so hard_ lately. Her life is in shambles and she keeps digging herself out of one hole just to fall into an even deeper one. She doesn’t know what she’s doing and she doesn’t really have her parents to help guide her, so she’s on her _own_. She wants a break and maybe with Archie, driving his dad’s truck to god knows where, is how she’ll finally feel like she has a second to catch her breath.

 

“Okay.” She agrees after a long pause, thinking his blinding smile alone is making this all worth it.

 

“I-I made a playlist.” Archie mentions, blushing all the way from the tips of his ears.

 

Veronica smiles teasingly at him, laughing quietly at the way he rolls his eyes and shoves his phone into her hands so she can scroll through the playlist. For a moment, she watches how the smile stays on his face as he puts the car in drive and starts to take off in any direction. She feels a hundred times better in the few minutes she’s been in his presence than she has in _weeks._

 

 _“_ What?” He asks, glancing at her briefly before paying attention to the road once again. She doesn’t know how long she might have been staring at him because suddenly they’re on the outskirts of Riverdale and now she’s kind of embarrassed.

 

“Nothing.” Veronica replies quickly, shaking her head and looking at the playlist. There’s a lot of artists on here that she doesn’t know of and she bites her lip, blood pumping with excitement of thinking he took the time to sit down and put some effort into this playlist. It’s a small gesture but it still means a lot to her.

 

The first song she decides on playing is _Driving_ by _Wanderer._ She thinks it’s fitting for their mini road trip to wherever they end up. When she plugs in the his phone to the aux cord, she giggles to herself. It always seemed kinda funny how out of place this somewhat modern radio looked installed in this old truck. She remembers fondly, when she was sitting in Archie’s garage, flipping mindlessly through a magazine, while Fred and him try to figure out how to get it to work.

 

She misses those times. It’s not something to new to her but she misses Archie too. This is just the first time she didn’t immediately push down the feeling as soon as she felt it creep up.

 

“Good choice,” Archie nods along, fingers already tapping to the rhythm on the steering wheel.

 

Veronica shifts a little so she’s facing Archie and leans her head back against the window, listening to the lyrics and letting the sounds of the instruments thrum through her body. She opens one eye, peeking at Archie when he starts to sing along.

 

The song itself and what it’s about makes her feel a little bittersweet. There was a time when they talked about doing just _this_ and taking off somewhere without a destination. It _should’ve_ been last summer but then things got complicated and that didn’t happen. She feels the guilty sadness she still carries with her, rise up but it’s like Archie can sense it or maybe he can see the emotions on her face because he’s tapping her foot and singing even louder.

 

“ _Cause I love when we’re driving! Just driving and nothing more!_ ” He yells bobbing his head faster. “C’mon! Sing with me!”

 

“I don’t know the lyrics!” She laughs sitting up straighter.

 

“Okay then dance with me!” He demands, shaking his shoulders and drumming on the steering wheel.

 

Veronica closes her eyes, really getting into the music and bobs her head around, feeling her hair flying everywhere.

 

The next song that plays is one she knows. It’s _One foot_ by _Walk The Moon._ She lets all her inhibitions go and just lets herself _be,_ singing and dancing without a care in the world. All of her problems don’t exist right now.

 

It’s just her and Archie. The only two people in the world that matter.

 

“ _Well, cross my heart and hope to die!_ ” Veronica sings at the top of her lungs. “ _Taking this one step at a time!_ ” She points her finger at Archie, signaling that it’s his turn.

 

“ _I got your back if you got mine,”_ He points back at her. _“(Oh- oh) one step at a time.”_

 

She cackles loudly at his attempt of a high note.

 

“ _One foot in front of the other. Ooh all we have is each other!”_ They chant together in sync, laughing until their stomachs hurt. It continues like that for the next few songs. They just go back and forth.

 

There’s one song in particular that comes on, it’s another one she doesn’t know, and it’s tempo is a little slower but still has an upbeat feel to it. Veronica just lets herself get lost in the music and before she can stop it, she feels the tears streaming down her face.

 

She feels happiness in its purest form right now. She thinks maybe this is the moment that contains all moments. The one moment where suddenly everything is clear and thinks maybe the future won’t be so bad, she’s come this far. This one memory she’ll recall and think, _yeah that was the best night of my life._ This one memory she’ll tell over and over again because it’s just the loveliest memory, with her favorite person. The only person who can evoke such emotion in her.

 

She doesn’t feel the pain she’s so used to feeling constantly. She doesn’t feel the dread of impending doom. Doesn’t feel any pressure to figure out what her next move is.

 

Veronica with Archie feels safe. She feels wanted. She feels _loved_. She feels understood without having to say anything.  

 

Their past doesn’t matter because whatever happens, if he can help it, Archie will be there, waiting to catch her when she’s free falling after everything has fell apart.

 

She can survive on her own, she knows, but it’s easier when she has him with her.

 

Suddenly his hand is intertwined with hers, and all he does is give her a gentle squeeze.

 

Veronica recognizes it fro what it is; a reminder that he’s _here._

~

 

They don’t travel for much longer because Archie pulls off into some meadow of sorts, in some random town that’s more land than anything else. The sky is getting ready to break dawn soon but the stars and moon are still out. She’s tired but she doesn’t want to sleep.

 

“Let’s sit in the back?”

 

She raises a brow at him. It’s still cold outside and they’re kinda in the middle of nowhere, so why leave the comfort and safety of inside the truck for the dangerous outside? At this point Veronica is giving up on questioning the way Archie’s mind works. She’s just going to go with it. Not like she’ll get any answers anyway.

 

“I have more blankets,” He assures, pulling some out from the space behind her seat. Sure enough two more blankets are in his hand.

 

Veronica shakes her head, getting out of the truck, and viewing her surroundings. It’s a pretty view from what she can see, with lots of green grass and patches of different flowers here and there.

 

Archie has already jumped onto the back of the truck, holding a hand out to her. She takes it and he’s pulling her up quickly. She stumbled a bit but he catches her.

 

And now her hands are gripping his strong arms that are actually circled around her waist. Their faces are so close, their noses are almost touching.

 

They just stand there, holding onto each other, eyes boring into one another’s.

 

Her breath hitches when he tightens his arms just a little.

 

A howl coming from the distance is what makes them jump apart quickly. She makes it a point to avoid eye contact with him, busying herself with laying down the blankets.

 

“If we get charged at by something out here, i'm pushing you in the way to save myself.”

 

Veronica smiles to herself when she hears his laugh. She quickly settles down and throws a blanket over herself to keep warm, leaving some space for Archie to get under. She a little nervous to be in even closer quarters with him but when they had that breakfast get together with their friends, their thighs were almost touching so, she guesses this won’t be that bad.

 

The sounds of crickets chirping is the only to be heard. Veronica puts a hand behind her head to get comfortable and gazes up at the barely visible stars.

 

“This is probably the part where I impress you with my knowledge of constellations but they just all look like blobs to me.”

 

Veronica laughs at his silliness and uses her finger to point out the ones that she does know. “That’s Orion’s Belt and near it is Canis Major.”

 

She watches him as he squints and tilts his head in every direction.

 

“Oh I see it, yeah.” He nods, still squinting and tilting his head.

 

“Do you really?”

 

“No,” Archie sighs in defeat. “Still just blobs.”

 

“You’re ridiculous.”

 

They go back to a comfortable silence and Veronica might fall asleep, she’s gotten so comfortable. Well as comfortable as she can in the back of the pick up truck with only two blankets for cushion, and no pillow.

 

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

 

Her eyes spring open at his words. The softness of his voice makes her squirm in her spot.

 

“What?” She asks, throat feeling tight, and heart beating faster.

 

“I know it’s not my place anymore but I was at home driving myself crazy thinking about you and everything that you’re going through. I couldn’t just sit by and not check up on you.” Archie confesses.

 

“Archie,” Veronica breathes, wiping away the tears. “Thank you.”

 

She rolls over to her side to face him which makes him do the same. He has a kind inviting smile on his face and it’s making it so hard for her not to just break down right now.

 

How is one person's heart so good?

 

“I’m okay,” She says eventually, when she knows she can get the words out without sobbing. He’s not going to believe her but she tries anyway.

 

“You can tell me the truth, Ronnie.”

 

She closes her eyes at the familiar nickname. She hasn’t heard it in so long. It feels good.

 

“I can’t believe it.” She finally lets out.

 

Without a second thought, Archie is wrapping his hands around her and pulling her into his chest. She cries as he holds her and maybe she’s not as alone as she thought.

 

When she’s finally calmed down enough to speak, she says it quietly against his neck, “I should be happy, I know. This is our chance to possibly start new without my dad but Archie, them together is all I’ve ever known.”

 

“When my mom left my dad, I was so angry because it felt like she was giving up on me too. I know where you’re coming from.”

 

“But your mom didn’t do everything in her power to ruin your guys’ lives.” Veronica sniffles. “My dad is a bad man and I know my mom is better off without him. He’s done some horrible things to me too but I-“

 

“You know everything you’re feeling is valid right?” Archie asks seriously. “It’s okay to feel this way. My mom literally _abandoned_ me without a second thought, and pops in every six months to lecture me but I still _love_ her with all my heart. She’s my mom just like Hiram is your dad and you’ll always love him even if it’s just a small part and the rest of you hates him. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

 

Archie shifts her until she can properly look into his eyes and says, “It’s okay to want to see the best in your parents even when you _know_ that they’ll never change. It doesn’t make you dumb or weak. It just makes you human. I’m sorry that you have to go through this but you’re the strongest girl I know and you’ll come out on top. You always do.”

 

Veronica doesn’t have words. Somehow Archie just _knows_ how and what’s she’s feeling without her having to say much.Maybe it’s because they’re two halves of a whole. The word _soulmate_ comes to mind and she thinks of the time he said he wanted to be that for her. Now she’s sure he was right all along. He _is_ that. Her soulmate, just like she is his.

 

She _loves_ him.

 

She does and it doesn’t scare her like it should.

 

“You’re amazing, you know that?” She reaches out to rest a hand on his check.

 

“Nah.” He shakes his head. “You are.”

 

“I’m serious, Archie.” She doesn’t budge. “Thank you for tonight. You didn’t have to but you did and it means the world to me.”

 

“Of course,” He says like there’s nowhere else he could possibly be right now. “I’ll always be here, Ronnie. Whatever it is- just a call or a text and I’m there.”

 

“Archiekins,” Veronica sighs, closing her eyes, and resting her forehead on his.

 

He pulls her impossibly closer, hands snaking in underneath her clothes to rub circles into the small of her back. She feels chills erupt all over her body, causing her to shiver.

 

“I miss you.”

 

She looks opens her eyes to find him already staring back at her. She feels it too. Everyday there’s a feeling in her gut that tells her something doesn’t quite fit about her life now.

 

“I miss you too.” Veronica admits.

 

She gasps a little when he leans forward, stopping just a hairline away from her lips.

 

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Archie whispers.

 

“We definitely shouldn’t be doing this.”

 

Really they shouldn’t because they both have other people at home waiting for them. Veronica doesn’t know what’s going to happen on the drive back or even when they get back into Riverdale but she can’t find it in herself to _care_ a single bit. Because right now, with Archie’s lips on hers, wrong has never felt so right.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! My tumblr is pairedaces if you wanna stop by!


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